Your American Voice

        " Use your voice!" That is probably something I dread. I know using your voice is important so why is it still hard for me to speak up. I hate speaking up in  room full of strangers so that is one reason. I definitely feel safer speaking up on the internet where there is anonymity. Sometimes I see others speak up and looks like it comes naturally. See every now and then I will say something so perfectly it's like a scene out of a movie. One thing I should work on is knowing my audience. My opinion might feel more important if everyone agrees with them.
          A major problem is also fear of backlash. I can say that it's intimidating when your in a group of people and you say something and everyone collectively looks at you as if you are stupid. Mostly I find speaking up an inconvenience. I am not going to lose by not speaking up. I do realize that if I do speak up and say something stupid everyone will forget about it.  I find that if I hear something that triggers emotions I usually don't think before I say something. Most people are like that so you see people that are aware of this and use their words as bait. Which is smart if you are speaking to a group of people.
         Speaking in front of strangers is hard but speaking up for a friend not so much.When I see a friend getting talked down upon, it is only natural to go into defending mode. There is a sense of also feeling hurt when you see your friends getting hurt.  Speaking up about that comes natural and feels right. Now speaking up for stranger like when you see someone doing some illegal stuff is different. To speak up it involves reporting someone to someone else. In other words "snitching". So I personally don't really like to speak up on other people's business unless it is very serious. Wow speaking up is a real challenge.